The invention relates to a new microbial-enzymatic process for the synthesis of L-alpha-amino acids from 5-substituted hydantoins.
L-Alpha-amino acids are used as an additive for foods and nutrients as well as for the manufacture of pharmaceutical products and as an intermediate product for chemical syntheses.
According to West German Patent DE 3,712,539 C2, L-alpha-amino acids can be obtained from 5-substituted hydantoins or N-carbamoyl-alpha-amino acids by biochemical conversion by means of microorganisms. Optimization tests with the strains described in this patent specification have shown that the growth and the enzymatic synthesis is favorably influenced by addition of glucose and ammonium sulfate and yeast extract to the medium. However, the imparting of a high specific enzyme activity is linked to the presence of a suitable inductor and of manganese ions in the medium, since only under the influence of a suitable inductor do the organisms begin to form the enzymes participating in the conversion, such as hydantoin racemase, hydantoinase and L-N-carbamoylase. According to West German Patent DE 3,712,539 C2, D,L-3'-methyleneindolyl-5-hydantoin can function both as an inductor and as a carbon source.
However, it is therefore not sufficient to add this inductor in a batch preparation to the medium at the beginning, since its effect decreases with time. Only fresh addition leads again to an increase of the activity. Dosage of the inductor in the later growth phase over 4 to 5 hours has also proved successful; nevertheless, this means an undesirably high inductor consumption. Moreover, products are formed that have an inhibiting effect on the growth and visibly color the medium. For isolation of the formed L-alpha-amino acid, these degradation products must additionally be removed, which causes an increased purification expense.
It is a further disadvantage that, for this inductor, an organic solvent such as, for example, polyethylene glycol, must be employed in the culture medium.
The object of the present invention is therefore to improve the known process for the synthesis of L-alpha-amino acids by providing an inductor which as far as possible is not degraded during the microbial conversion, which forms no products inhibiting the growth and the enzyme activity, which necessitates no additional purification expense in the working-up of the reaction mixture and which permits a high yield of L-alpha-amino acids even without additional solvents.